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Firm start to sale season
WENTWORTH brothers Warren and Stuart Duncan paid the top price of $8000 at Friday’s season-opening Loddon ram sale season auction at Terrick West Stud.
They faced strong bidding to secure the first of 84 lots to go under the auctioneer’s hammer.
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The 19.2 micron ram had been sired in South Australia by the ram Moorundie M61.
Warren Duncan said they had wanted to include that bloodline for breeding in their 4000-ewe Dunedin Park stud.
“We saw this ram at the Victorian Merino Field Day in Marnoo last month - we had been looking at others but this ram stood out for its structure, brilliant back-end and good wool and a broad back,” he said.
“We’re focusing on spending on rams and this purchase will be joined to a few select ewes in our flock of about 4000 breeding ewes.”
It was the first purchase by the Duncans of a Terrick West ram in 15 years.
Friday’s top priced ram had a standard deviation of 2.9, co-efficient of variation of 15, and comfort factor of 99.5 per cent.
The sale’s average was $3112 on a clearance of 78 of 84 rams.
While down on last year’s record average of $3703 - the top price in 2022 was $6500 - Terrick West co-principal Ross McGauchie said: “Last year was phenomenal and after a difficult period last year (floods), we were very happy with the rams that were offered today.”
“We’re very pleased that a lot of people agree with us and spent good, serious money on good rams,” he said.
Top buyer at the sale was Murray Miller who purchased nine rams at the stud’s 34th annual sale.
Bendigo Sheep & Lamb Market Report
Alan Metelmann
Regular buyers make purchases
ARNOLD farmer Alan Metelmann was back at the Terrick West sale on Friday.
Alan has been purchasing Terrick West rams for more than a decade to boost the performance of his sheep.
He said the Terrick West bloodline produced easy-tohandle sheep that were easy to shear.
Pompapiel Pastoral’s Dave Cullen this year purchased four rams while the Carless brothers of Moliagul, regular buyers for more than 30 years, were successful bidders on three rams this year.
Rams were also sold to South Australian buyers with strong bidding on most of the 84 lots offered, Terrick West stud will also have lots in the major Adelaide ram auction next month.
